You’re scheduled for orthopedic surgery. Perhaps you have a meniscus tear. Maybe you have unexplained joint pain. Even though you’ve had imaging, your doctors aren’t sure of the diagnosis. They need to look at your joint during surgery to determine exactly what needs to be done.
You’re wondering how long your recovery is going to be and how much pain you’ll experience after the surgery. You’re having the surgery because you’re in pain. Maybe you can no longer participate in sports you normally play or hobbies you love. You want to regain mobility.
At Coastal Empire Orthopedics, board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Shults uses arthroscopic surgery to diagnose and treat many joint conditions. This minimally invasive surgery has many benefits. Although Dr. Shults needs to perform traditional open surgery on occasion, today, most joint surgeries are performed using arthroscopy.
Arthroscopic surgery is minimally invasive, meaning Dr. Shults makes only tiny incisions in your skin. During the procedure, your expert provider inserts small, thin instruments with a lens, a light, and a powerful camera into the target area. Dr. Shults views the area on a computer monitor that magnifies the area many times.
Your surgeon can determine the damage's exact location and repair it. The following are four benefits of arthroscopy.
Joint problems can be complex. Your joint problem can involve bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Perhaps you've had a fall and chronic pain in the groin area. You can't lift your arm above your shoulder anymore.
Dr. Shults can use arthroscopic surgery to look inside your body at the affected joint and surrounding area. Now, your surgeon sees the extent of your joint damage and can repair it simultaneously.
Modern arthroscopy was born due to technological advances in optics and light transmission in the 1950s and 1960s. Its use grew exponentially in the 1980s and 1990s. The technique has revolutionized orthopedic surgery. Most orthopedic operations can now be performed using arthroscopy, eliminating the need for large incisions.
With any surgery, you'll have some degree of discomfort. However, because Dr. Shults uses very small incisions measured in millimeters, you'll experience less pain than a large wound. That's a huge benefit.
Because you have tiny incisions, only a small amount of tissue is opened up. Your risk of infection is greatly reduced. Plus, you experience less blood loss and less swelling than you would have with an open surgery.
Arthroscopy is usually done in an outpatient setting, meaning you can go home the same day as your surgery after resting in the recovery room.
You've heard of hospital-borne infections. You don't have a hospital stay; your risk of infection is greatly reduced.
You’re having orthopedic surgery because you want to recover lost mobility and enjoy life again. If you play a sport, you want to return to play. Recovery can’t come soon enough.
Arthroscopic surgery has enabled many athletes to continue to play their sport, and you want the same benefit. Arthroscopy is usually done in an outpatient setting, meaning you can go home the same day as your surgery after resting in the recovery room.
Call Coastal Empire Orthopedics or book an appointment online today if you have undiagnosed joint pain and for all of your orthopedic needs.
